Detonating compound



Patented Apr. ll, I899.

- a. M. HATHAWAY.

DETONATING COMPOUND.

(Application filed Feb. 14, 1896. Renewed Sept. 16, 1898.)

(No Model.)

W/TNESSES:

ATTORNEY.

GEORGE MJHATHAWAY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO M. o. ARNOT NTT D STATES PATENT Erica.

OF ELMIRA, NEW YORK.

.DETONATING COM POUND.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 622,800, dated April 11, 1899.

. Application filed February 14, 1896. Renewed September 16, 1898. Serial No. 691.086. (No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE M. HATHAWAY,

a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Detonating Compositions; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to certain improvements in detonating compounds for exploding high explosives of any description, but is especially designed to explode the compound or compounds known in the market as joveite, which consists, essentially, in the combination of a suitable hydrocarbon derivative, an oxidizing agent, and a suitable material for rendering the compound sufiiciently sensitive to be detonated or exploded, such as a composition of nitro-napthalene, nitro-phenol,

and nitrate of soda, or nitro-napthalene, nitro-phenol, and nitrate ammonia.

The principal object of the invention is to furnish a thoroughly safe and reliable detonator by means of which the explosive known as joveite can be successfully exploded when in a solidified or tightly-packed form and which cannot be exploded by any means other than by fire or flame.

Experience has demonstrated that a more powerful explosion takes place when the jpveite is in a compressed or solidified form than when in a granulated condition; but the great difliculty has been to obtain a composition that would successfully detonate or explode the compound when in this form. The percussive force of the ordinary fulminates will not accomplish it, as their action is entirely too quick. After many-experiments I have found that a detonating composition of low grade,which explodes less suddenly and is virtuallydevoid of percussive force,must be employed. 5

While the invention is designed to furnish a detonator. for explodingshells and other projectiles charged with the high explosive compound for military and naval purposes, it is equally well adapted for use in blasting purposes, wherein the explosive is molded into sticks and inserted in holes made iu rocks and in which the ordinary detonator fails to.

act reliably. V

My composition is composed of the following-named ingredients, which are designated EA) Charcoal B) Sulfur ......1O 85 5C) Saltpeter 75 D) Nitro-napthalene 5 (E) Nitro-phenol 12 (F) Nitrate of soda 5 (G) Chlorate of potash 3 The ingredients charcoal, sulfur, and saltpeter are pulverized and thoroughly mixed, and the ingredients nitro-napthalene, nitrophenol, and nitrate of soda are mixed at a temperature of about 200 Fahrenheit and ground together while in this heated condition. After being thus thoroughly mixed the compound of charcoal, sulfur, and saltpeter forms one part of my composition and nitro-napthalene, nitro-phenol, and nitrate of soda constitute the second part thereof, and for the purpose of facilitating the future description of the composition I will hereinafter refer to those parts as 1 and 2. The parts 1 and 2 are then added together in the proportions indicated above and are thoroughly mixed while in a heated condition, so as to remove all moisture. After the parts 1 apd 2 have been thoroughly mixed and dried the ingredient chlorate of potash, which constitutes the third part and which is in the form of an impalpable powder, is then distributed or sprinkled over said parts 1 and 2 and carefully mixed therewith, the distributing or sprinkling being continued at intervals until the composition has received the full amount of the chlorate of potash. The mixture thus formed is then heated to about 90 Fahrenheit, so as to thoroughly dry and remove all moisture. It is then ground, mixed with water in suflicient quantity to form a stifi pasty fieient rapidity to cause the composition when fired to detonate the joveite. The chlorate of potash constitutes another oxidizing agent. This parts with its oxygen freely and rapidly, and if used alone as the oxidizing agent would form a percussive compound wholly unfitted for a detonator. The nitrates above mentioned act to modify the explosive force so as to produce a detonator which,- having virtually no percussive force, is more rapid in its action than the composition in which nitrates alone are employed as the oxygen-fut nishing agents.

The discharge of all detonators causes more or less vibratory motion of all substances adjacent thereto; but the compositions containing the nitrates alone as the oxidizing agent give rise to vibrations which are too slow to break up the mass of joveite when compacted and at the same time communicate the firet'rom the detonator thereto, while the chlorate when employed alone as an oxidizing agent causes too rapid vibrations or percussive action, which ruptures the packed mass of explosive and scatters it before the flame can take effect. By the use of the two oxidizing agents-that is, a nitrate and a chlorate-21. vibratory action Will be set up which will disrupt'the surrounding mass and permit the fire to be simultaneously communicated thereto.

The phenol derivatives and the nitro-napthaline derivatives employed are the nitro derivatives consisting of mixtures of substances having various degrees of nitration. In the nitro derivatives of phenol (the nitro used in this process) there is generically contained from ten per cent. to-twenty-five per cent. of

tri-nitro-phenol, the remaining constituent being a mixture of mono and di-nitro phenol.

In the accompanying drawings are shown two means of employing my new composition, Figure 1 representing a sectional. view of a detonator and time-fuse plug to be used in exploding a shell or' other projectile, Fig. 2 a sectional View showing the parts in position and properly shaped, and Fig. 3 a sectional view showing a detonator charged and provided with a tape-fuse and applied to a stick of joveite.

The detonator shown in Figs. 1 and 2 consists of. a shouldered plug 1, having an extended tube 2, which extends Into the shell (not shown) when the detonator'is in place,

the plug back of the shoulder being externally screw-threaded, so as to fit the internal threads of the opening in said shell or projectile. The plug is bored from its rear to the front, and the bore is screw-threaded to receive an externally-screwthreaded timefuse plug 3, which is provided with a longi tudinal bore of small diameter. The said bore is charged with fuse-powder, and at its rear end is seated a percussion-cap provided with the usual anvil, by means of which cap the fuse-powder may be fired on the impact of the shell by a striker, which is arranged in the fuse=case of the shell.

" As shown in Fig. 3, the detonator is represented as embedded in one end-of a stick of joveite. In this instance the detonator consists of a metallic tube 5, closed at one end and open at the other. The said tube is filled with the detonating composition and is externally screw-threaded at one end to be re-. ceived into one end of a fuse-tube 6, which holds atape-fuse 7. The tube 6 is crimped at intervals to hold the tape-fuse against displacement, as shown in said Fig. 3.

The detonating compound is ignited by means of afuse, which may be either atimefuse, a fuse to be fired by a percussion-cap, or a tape-fuse. municated from said fuse to the detonating In either case the fire is com-.

compound and from the said compound to the low grade.

2. A detonating compound, composed of charcoal, sulfur, saltpeter, nitro-napthalene, nitro-phenol, nitrate of soda and chlorate of potash, in about the proportions specified.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE M. HATIIAWAY.

' Witnesses:

I J. R. NOTTINGHAM,

L. L. JOHNSON. 

